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An understanding of the independent effects of vehicle weight and size on overall vehicle safety is necessary in order to assess the risks and benefits of vehicle weight reduction. This paper describes the results of statistical analyses of 1985 to 1998 model year passenger cars and 1985 to 1997 model year light trucks and vans (LTVs) involved in traffic accidents in the US from 1995 to 1999 to quantify these effects. The analyses involved aggregate linear regression and logistic regression of US FARS fatal accident data, state accident data, and vehicle registration data, using methods based on or adapted from methods described in published NHTSA Technical Reports.

An analysis of vehicle tip stability in NHTSA Side Impact New Car Assessment Program (SINCAP) tests was conducted in order to better understand the causes of possible tip-over in such a test, and the potential relationship to occupant safety. Analyses were conducted of accident data involving light passenger vehicle rollovers. SINCAP tests conducted at several facilities with SUV-type vehicles were reviewed. A computer simulation model of the SINCAP test was developed and used to analyze the effects on vehicle tip-over of variations in vehicle and test facility parameters. It was found that fatal accidents involving “multi-vehicle rollover” (ie, SINCAP like conditions) were the least frequent among four accident types examined; and that SUV’s had the lowest fatality rate in such accidents, among the four vehicle types examined.

Results of a study are described in which driver subjective over-the-road noise discomfort ratings and objective measurements were collected and correlated for 10 driver subjects and an experimental matrix of test vehicles, transient road specimens, and repeated runs. Objective noise measurements included various time varying psychoacoustic Loudness and Sharpness metrics and Sound Pressure Level measurements. Results indicate that driver over-the-road noise discomfort is most strongly correlated with changes in the sound magnitude, for which Fast A-weighted SPL is almost as good a metric as Zwicker's Loudness, and to some extent is also correlated with the absolute sound level. Results also suggest that the change in the Aures' Sharpness of the sound and passenger car motion and vibration may also contribute to noise discomfort.